Preface

As national regulations become increasingly stringent, the water utilities are finding it increasingly difficult to bear the cost pressure of smart remote-reading water meters that undergo six-year cyclical replacements. Meanwhile, the development of smart water management continues to deepen and gain traction. Traditional mechanical water meters can no longer adequately meet the modern demands of water management—such as remote meter reading, precise measurement, efficient operations and maintenance, and convenient public services.

Leveraging a self-developed, vertically specialized large-scale AI-powered image recognition model, combined with outstanding advantages such as non-invasive modifications and low-cost, rapid deployment, Hangzhou Maitu has completely upgraded its AI camera-based recognition technology, creating two lightweight and highly efficient solutions. These solutions provide comprehensive support to water utilities in reducing costs, improving efficiency, optimizing operations and maintenance management, enhancing the fairness of public utility metering, and accelerating the digital and intelligent transformation of the water industry.

Structural upgrade

• IP68-rated protection ensures exceptional and durable performance even in harsh environments.
• The module is powered by an external battery, and different battery specifications can be configured according to users’ varying needs, thereby reducing users’ expenditure costs. Moreover, by simply replacing the battery, the module can maintain operational capability for over 12 years.
• Upgrade to a 30W-pixel HD wide-angle camera lens. Through optical optimization, the installation height of the terminal device is reduced, enabling panoramic and clear imaging of the water meter dial and ensuring complete capture of the dial’s data.

• Upgrade to a magnetoresistive + AI full-frame camera solution (dual-mode terminal), which synchronously delivers two types of data—AI camera recognition and pulse dynamics—to managers. These data can be mutually compared, verified, and traced for review, ensuring fair and impartial trade settlements. This solution is particularly well-suited for business application scenarios that require refined operations and maintenance control, as well as high-frequency, high-precision data collection.Adopting a split-structure design, this solution is compatible with multiple types of water meters, overcoming the limitations of meter-type adaptation. When the base meter needs to be replaced every six years, the dual-mode terminal can be independently retained and reused—no need for relearning after replacing the base meter, and it supports cold starts with any meter type. The magnetoresistive solution addresses the issue of poor magnetic compatibility, while the overall architectural design complies with relevant standards, effectively reducing the overall costs of project construction and operation & maintenance.

Algorithm upgrade

• Unlike existing industry camera modules that rely on OCR-based image and text recognition technology, this product leverages METER MIND 4.0—the industry’s first AI-powered, vertically specialized large-scale model for water meter recognition—enabling true plug-and-play functionality with no need for prior configuration for any meter type. It boasts exceptionally high robustness, strong adaptability to various scenarios, and an accuracy rate of up to 99.9%.
• The upgraded algorithm is compatible with LCD displays and multi-digit wheel-type volumetric water meters, enabling accurate reading of screen data while resisting interference from factors such as light and viewing angle. It has been optimized to enhance recognition performance under challenging conditions like dirt or partial digits, ensuring stable and reliable mechanical reading even in complex on-site environments.

LCD water meter	Volumetric water meter

01 Smart Retrofit Solution for Old Tables

△ Click to watch the video: A Guide to Smart Retrofitting Old Watches

Easy to install—just plug it in and use it right away.

• There is no need to modify the existing pipe structure, nor is it necessary to carry out large-scale water shutdowns, pipe breaking, or complete meter replacements. The renovation process has no impact on residents’ water supply and significantly reduces renovation costs.
• It is compatible with most table body sizes and features a modular design, allowing for quick upgrades of existing tables without the need for additional tools.

Reduce costs and boost efficiency, upgrade management.

• Specifically designed for the renovation of older residential communities, it enables zero-debugging startup, offering convenient construction and efficient deployment.
• Compatible with various watch types, including mechanical watches, analog watches, and LCD watches, it features adaptive recognition for all scenarios, eliminating the need for complicated configurations and significantly reducing the difficulty of on-site installation and debugging.

02 New Table Specification Deployment Plan

△ Click to watch the video: New Table Deployment Guide

Step-by-step deployment, compliant and flexible

Adopting a modular architecture featuring a "metering base meter + intelligent vision module," it supports flexible, two-phase deployment:

• Phase 1: Complete the installation and initial verification of the metering base meters, ensuring compliance with metrological regulations and the accuracy and reliability of data.
• Phase 2: Rapidly retrofit the AI intelligent module without modifying the structure of the already verified meter body, thereby ensuring measurement accuracy and legal validity.

Service enhancement, benefiting and serving the people.

• Users can use online channels such as the mobile app and the official public account to check their water consumption and billing details in real time, and complete payment with a single click online.
• Say goodbye once and for all to cumbersome processes such as paper bills and in-person queueing for bill payments, thereby optimizing the user experience of water consumption and enhancing satisfaction with water services as well as the brand’s image.

03 AI-powered camera recognition performance demonstration

Identify LCD water meters

Identify positive-displacement water meters

Say goodbye to the pain points of estimated readings and favoritism in traditional manual meter reading—Hangzhou Maitu’s AI-powered camera recognition technology delivers a brand-new experience. Whether it’s an LCD water meter or a mechanical water meter, users simply need to take a photo of the meter face from the suggested angle and upload it to instantly obtain an accurate reading with just one click.

METER MIND 4.0, a vertical large model, supports adaptation to multiple types of metering devices. Its recognition process is highly efficient and stable, and the results can be directly verified, effectively addressing the challenges of low meter-reading efficiency and high measurement errors, thereby helping the water industry achieve an intelligent, low-cost, and high-efficiency upgrade in meter reading.